The present invention is directed toward a hand shield to be used in a restroom and more particularly, toward a dispenser that provides the hand shields and a vacuum disposal system for disposing of used hand shields.
Germs are present on many surfaces, especially on door knobs or handles found in public restrooms, hospital rooms, doctors"" offices, and the like. While washing one""s hands is a common way to remove germs therefrom as well as to prevent the spread of germs, it is not always very effective. For example, after washing one""s hands in a public restroom, a person must exit the room which quite often requires the person to come into contact with a door knob. Thus, it is very likely that the hands that were just washed will again come in contact with germs.
There are patents that address this problem and have proposed solutions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,645 to Teaster discloses a glove-type of shield, a plurality of which may be stored in a dispenser and used in a public restroom so that a person may use the glove in order to open the door after washing his/her hands, thereby preventing the spread of germs. A problem with these gloves, however, is that there is no place to dispose of the used glove upon exiting the restroom.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,805 to Katsanevas addresses the disposal problem discussed above with regard to the patent to Teaster. Katsanevas discloses a towelette dispenser located on or near the door of a restroom so that the towelette may be used to open the door in order to prevent the spread of germs. The device also includes a collection bin into which used towelettes may be disposed. While this patent provides a solution to the problem of where to dispose of a used hand cover after the restroom door has been opened, the device appears to allow for some contact by the person""s clean hand with the collection bin or with other used towelettes, particularly if the bin has not been emptied in a timely manner and is overflowing.
Therefore, a need exists for a hand shield dispenser and disposal system that prevents the spread of germs in an effective manner.
The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a hand shield dispenser and disposal system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a vacuum disposal system for a used hand shield.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided the combination of a door for a generally enclosed area and a dispenser for storing hand shields comprising a door having a front side and a back side and a dispenser including a plurality of housings. The dispenser is mounted in the vicinity of the back side of the door and a plurality of hand shields are stored within each of the housings. Each of the housings has means for dispensing the shields. A disposal passage extends from inside the enclosed area to outside the enclosed area and has an opening in the vicinity of the front side of the door. A receptacle is in communication with the disposal passage and has a vacuum source located therein for collecting and housing used hand shields.